Republican lawmakers congratulated Pete Hegseth after he was narrowly confirmed as defense secretary on Friday, with GOP senators saying they were proud to vote for him.

Senators voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth's defense secretary bid, which has been mired in several controversies. Two Republicans oppose him.

A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.

The vote came amid concerns about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon amid allegations of heavy drinking and abusive behavior toward women.

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Three Republicans voted with every Democrat against Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Pentagon, forcing Vance to step in and put Hegseth over the top.

Pete Hegseth, a former combat veteran and TV news show host, says he will be a "change agent" and a "warrior" for the department as Republicans demand new and strong leadership in the Pentagon.